Road to Recovery
by flypo
Summary: Before Nightlife. What happened after Cal came stumbling back from Tumulus. Niko's POV.
1. The Return

**Title: **Road to Recovery

**Summary:** Before Nightlife. What happened after Cal came stumbling back from Tumulus. Niko's POV.

I could see it as if it were still happening. Cal clawing at the ground, the Grendel dragging him back towards that… thing. I raced towards them running as fast as I could. I was close enough to see the scratches and puncture wounds on Cals' face and arms. I was almost there, in my mind I had already committed to killing the monster and freeing Cal. I was only a few metres away when they went through the rip, but it might as well have been a mile. Cal was gone where I couldn't follow. The rip closing around him, pulling him through a portal to god knows where.

I stood in shock the sudden silence deafening. I'd failed. Failed to do the one thing I'd promised himself I'd never stop doing. Protecting Cal. I had protected him his whole life. From our mother, from the other kids at school, from that mad dog, but most of all I had to protect Cal from himself. But now he was gone and my life's purpose was gone with him.

I sank to the ground the wet grass quickly soaking through my jeans, it had started to rain but I barely noticed. I didn't know what to do. I just kept starting at the empty space where Cal had been dragged through. The trailer was on fire behind me but I didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. The junk of a car stared at me, mocking me. _So close_. I'd been so close to getting Cal free of this life, free of our mother. Now it was all for nothing. He was gone.

_No!_ I refused to accept it. Cal had never let me down and I refused to consider that he would now. Cal would return and I would wait right here until he did. If he didn't return? Well there was no point in going on without my little brother.

So I sat where I was and stared at the spot where Cal had disappeared, and I waited.

I don't know exactly how long I sat on the ground. I'd gotten hungry at some point but it had been easy to ignore my rumbling stomach. I wouldn't have been able to keep any food down anyway. Which was why when the air I'd been staring at for at days started to rippled in front of me I thought I'd finally started to hallucinate. Then the air began to form into a small grey ball of light, and started to get bigger. It looked exactly like the portal that Cal had been dragged though, but it wasn't Cal that came out.

A wild creature shot out through the opening and lunged at me. Despite the fact that I'd been sitting in the same position for hours on end I still reacted flawlessly grabbing the creature's arm as it reached me, flipping it's body onto the ground with a thud and pinning it there. The creature thrashed around fighting my hold for a few moments before suddenly freezing, breathing hard, but I wasn't fooled and I wasn't letting this thing up.

Then the creature opened his eyes and looked at me. People say that eyes are the only thing about a person that never change. Right now I was looking into eyes that I'd know anywhere. They were Cal's eyes. My first thought was a murderous one. _What was this monster doing with Cal's eyes?_ Then it spoke. Just a whisper but that was all that was needed.

"Nik?" It was said with such a mixture of emotions. Sadness, disbelief... hope.

I couldn't believe it. This thing, this filthy crazed looking thing was Cal. I let up my grip staring down at my brother in shock. Now that I looked closely I couldn't believe how I'd missed it. There were differences, the hair that was once short now hung down to his shoulders, his shoulders broader than they were two days ago, but he was Cal.

I once again grabbed him by the arm, and he quickly latched on to me while I helped him up from the ground. I was shaken up on the inside but Cal was visibly shaking all over. Whether from the cold or from emotions I didn't know, but the cold I could fix.

"There's warm clothes in the trunk." I said to Cal as I lead him to the back of the car. When I tried to take Cal's hand off my arm to open the back he got a wild look in his eyes and his hand tighten its grip even harder.

"Hey, it's okay." I tried to speak as calmly as possible, "I'm not going anywhere." But he wasn't listening, still shaking and gripping my arm like his life depended on it... or maybe his sanity. I grabbed him by the chin and forced his head up making him look me in the eyes "I'm not going anywhere." I repeated forcefully.

Cal looked at me for a beat before slowly nodding his head. This time when I tried again to remove Cal's hand I met little resistance.

Quickly pulling the first bag that I could find I ripped it open. Cal's clothes were inside, but after a quick scan of my brother, whose eyes never left my face, I realized that they wouldn't fit him anymore. Grabbing a bag that I knew held some of my old clothes I pulled out a worn sweatshirt and a pair of pants.

I handed Cal the clothes "Put these on, you'll warm up."

It took awhile for my words to sink in as he stared at the clothes in confusion for awhile before slowly starting to put them on. While he was otherwise occupied with his task at hand I needed to make sure he was okay.

He startled as I put my hand on his shoulder locking eyes on me like a frightened animal. I kept my hand where it was and just looked back at him, needing him to trust me. After what seemed like minutes he slowly lowered his head and went back to pulling on the clothes.

It was as I was checking him over for any obvious signs of injury that I remembered the blood that I'd seen on him when he's was dragged through that portal. I pulled up the sleeves of the sweatshirt Cal had just finished putting on.

"I saw blood" I stared at his arm in disbelief. "When they took you. I saw blood on your arms, your neck." My fingers traced over the small puncture wound scars on his arms and then the ones on his neck, they were long healed.

It was then that I understood. I'd been sitting in the same spot for days waiting for Cal to come back from wherever the Grendel's had taken him. While for me Cal had disappeared days ago, he had clearly been gone a lot longer than that. The time difference explained away all the differences in Cal's appearance.

"Jesus, Cal, it really is you." I pulled him into a bone crushing hug, never wanting to let go again.

"Caliban." He whispered in reply. I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. I hated the name he insisted on, and I refuse to call him that, but that didn't matter now. I knew that there was probably a long road ahead until Cal was fully recovered, if he ever did, because god knows what those Grendels did to him. However if Cal still had the sense of mind to insist on being called his full name, then he wasn't as far gone as I feared. It meant that beneath that filthy skin, and behind those vacant eyes, my brother was still in there somewhere.

"We need to get out of here." I said releasing Cal, "They're probably right behind you." I left him standing there as I put the bags back in the car before shutting the trunk. I walked around to the passenger door opening it before looking back at Cal.

He was staring at the burnt down trailer. I slowly walked back to him. "Come on, we have to go." I said softly, there'd be time to mourn Sofia later. I lead him to the car and sat him down in the passenger side making sure he had his seat belt buckled before closing the door and jogging over to the driver's side. I slide into the driver's seat and turned the ignition. I let out a sigh of relief as the car started then turned to Cal who was staring blankly out the window. Cupping the back of his head I said "We are going to be okay." He slowly turned to face me, a helpless look on his face, "_You_ are going to be okay." I added giving his neck a squeeze.

That said I put the car into gear and drove off. I had no idea where we were going. If they'd been following Cal before they took him then they probably new about my dorm room, so that was no longer a safe option. We'd stop off at a motel along the road somewhere were we can get some sleep. Right now we needed to get as far away from this place as possible. After that I'd figure something out. One thing was for sure, I was going to make sure I was always there to protect Cal, and I was never going to fail him again.

TBC


	2. Safe

"It's long." Cal whispered

This is the first thing either of us had said since we had started driving. We'd been driving in silence for hours, allowing Cal the space he needed to work through what he needed to work through. Then a few minutes ago he had started to finger his now shoulder length hair. "My hair is longer." His voice was very monotone like he was speaking from a distant place, but at least he was finally talking.

Without taking my eyes off the road I replied "You've been gone a long time."

"I have?"

His question surprised me, "Yeah, it looks like you have." I risked a quick look at him before looking back at the road, "How long do you think you've been gone?"

His brow crinkles in confusion "I... I didn't...I don't know." He looks around countryside before turning back to me "Are we going to your school now?"

"No, I don't think it's safe." I said surprised at his abrupt change of subject.

"From the Grendels?" he asks slowly.

"Yeah, if they've been following you then they probably saw you at my dorm. We can't risk going there."

"Right... okay." He went back to starting out the window and then after a few moments he added softly, "I knew I'd be the reason you dropped out."

There was nothing to say to that. He was right. I couldn't go back to college, at least not until I was sure they wouldn't find us. I knew that if Cal was in his right mind he'd be kicking up a fuss about me leaving college for him. He didn't understand, he'd never understood. I'd gladly give up my life if it meant he could keep his. Don't get me wrong, I loved going to that school and if there was any way to do both, protect Cal and go, then I would. That wasn't possible though, not now. Which meant I had to choose one, and that choice was a no brainer.

We drove for another few hours before I'd decided we were far enough away that the Grendels should have trouble finding us. I pulled into the next road side Motel.

"I'm going to get a room. I'll be back as fast as I can." There was no response from Cal.

Leaving the reception with a room key, I looked at the number and saw that our room was right in front of the car. This meant that I could sweep it first while still keeping a close eye on Cal. I knew that there was almost no possibility that the Grendels knew where we were, let alone that they were lying in wait in our brand new motel room. But I was still shaken up enough that I needed to check to make sure that I wasn't leading Cal into a trap.

Once my search of the room turned up no lurking monsters and a quick listen through the walls showed no signs of suspicious behaviour I went back to the car. Cal hadn't moved but I hadn't expected him to. After grabbing the necessities from the boot I went and opened Cal's passenger door. He jumped a little and looked at me.

I pointed my thumb towards the motel room door, "Got us a room for the night."

As soon as we were both in the room I locked the door and tested it twice to make sure it locked properly. Cal just stood in the middle of the room looking around at the room's minimal surroundings before turning to face me.

"I'm going to go...umm...get clean." He walked towards the tiny bathroom.

"That's a good idea." He was filthy and did need a shower but I was concerned about the way he'd phrased it. "I'm going to go try get us some supplies while you do that. I shouldn't be more than a few minutes." He just stared at me from the bathroom doorway. "Do you think you'll be okay alone for a bit?" He gave me a small nod as he closed the door behind him.

I didn't want to leave him alone but we needed supplies if we wanted to survive. I figured that the longer we were here the more likely it was that the Grendels could track us down. Which meant the quicker I got our supplies the better. I went to the small grocery store I'd noticed just down the road when we drove up.

I was gone longer than I intended, but when I unlocked the door and entered the room Cal was still in the bathroom. Putting the grocery bags on a table I walked over to the door.

I knocked, "Cal you okay?"

There was no answer. The shower wasn't running so there was no reason for him not to have heard me. My heart started to beat a little faster. I tried the door but it was locked. I knocked harder "Cal?" I reasoned that his silence was probably due to his fragile state, I mean he'd hardly said a handful of words since he'd come back. But there were other possibilities for him not answering. Which was why I kicked in the door.

Cal was standing in front of the mirror still wet from his shower. There was no danger in sight. Cal hadn't even reacted to my sudden and violent entry. He was staring very intently at the small mirror hanging over the sink.

"I look different." His voice had lost that distant tone and sounded stronger than it had since he'd came back.

He turned towards me, "I remember being dragged into that thing." His voice wavered "The next thing I know, you're tackling me to the ground."

"You don't remember anything about where you were." It wasn't a question.

He fingered his long hair, "Nothing."

I put the lid down on the toilet and sat down. I wasn't sure if I was relieved about this fact or not. On one hand I was glad that he didn't seem to remember whatever horrors they had put him through. On the other hand, if he didn't remember anything then I didn't know what they'd taken him for, or how he'd gotten out. Did they let him go because they were done with whatever they needed him for, and therefore leaving us alone to live our lives peacefully? Or did Cal escape from them, which would probably mean that they would be out there looking for him even now? I'd bet on the latter.

I rubbed a hand over my face. My eyes felt heavy. It felt like years since Cal been taken, in reality it had only been 3 days. Still it was a long time to go without sleep, even for me. I decided to let Cal's amnesia go for now, I'd deal with that later.

"We'll figure it out-" I said standing up "-tomorrow. For now I think we could both use some sleep." I left the room as Cal turned back to stare at his reflection.

When Cal finally did emerged from the bathroom he was once again wearing the old sweats I had put him in earlier. It was clear that 'getting clean' had been good for Cal. He's movements weren't so forced and his eyes had lost that glazed look.

"Are you sure it's safe here?" Cal asked.

"There's no reason for the Grendels to know we're here." There were two single beds in the room, I claimed the one closest to the door, "It should take them awhile to track us down and we'll be long gone by the time they do."

I climbed into the bed making sure the sheets were loose in case I needed to get out in a hurry. I waited until Cal had gotten under the covers of the other bed before reaching for the light switch.

"Don't!" Cal shouted his eyes wide. As I moved my hand away from the switch he visibly relaxed.

There was no need to say anything. I didn't judge him. If he needed the light on to sleep then it was going to stay on all night.

I closed my eyes waiting for the blissful sleep. Hoping things would be a little clearer in the morning.

"Nik?" Cal whispered.

"Yeah."

"I thought you were dead." He paused, "In the fire...I thought you were dead." I looked over at him. He was curled up under the sheets looking at me.

"I'm really glad I was wrong." With that he closed his eyes. It wasn't long after that that I was asleep.

***

A noise woke me up with a start. Looking over at Cal's bed my heart stopped. He wasn't there. I sat up and looked wildly around the room, he wasn't anywhere. I was ready to jump out of the bed when I heard it again. A small thud coming from the bathroom. I swung my feet out off the bed and onto the floor hoping that Cal had just needed to use the bathroom. As I stood up I noticed the hand poking out from under the bed. Crouching down I saw Cal, in a fetal position, fast asleep under the bed. Which meant he wasn't in the bathroom. There was another thud. Something else was.

Reaching under my pillow I gripped the knife I'd bought earlier, and crept towards the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar. Leaning against the wall I peered inside and froze at the sight. There were three Grendels standing in the bathroom surrounding one of their portals. I could feel the blood drain from my face.

I didn't waste any time. As fast and I silently as I could I moved back across the room, thinking they would hear my pounding heart at any moment. I crouched by the bed and put my hand over Cal's mouth waking him instantly. I held my finger to my lips and mouthed 'Grendels'. His eyes widened and his breathing quickened. I heard another small thud, a forth one had come through. I knew we'd never be able to flight them off. My brief altercation with them the other night showed me they were too fast. We had to run, _now_. Motioning Cal to follow me we quickly went for the motel door. Stopping only to grab the car keys on the stand, we were out and making our way to the car in seconds.

We'd just gotten the car doors closed when I heard a crash from inside the room. I didn't bother to look to see what was happening, I shoved the keys into the ignition, turned the engine, slammed the car into gear and screech away. I risked a glance in the rear view mirror as we were leaving the parking lot. One of them was standing in the doorway. Red eyes gleaming as it watched us drive away to safety.

***

"What the hell." Cal said looking over his shoulder.

"Cal..."

"It's not following us. Why isn't it following us?"

"Cal!."

His head whipped back around to look at me, and snapped out "You said I was safe there."

His words were like a knife in the heart. He was right. I'd assumed we were safe simply because we'd driven far enough away. Clearly distance didn't matter to them if they could find us there that quickly. I let out a shaky breath. I'd almost lost him again because of my own carelessness. The adrenaline was starting to leave me and I was feeling shaking.

" Nik..." Cal sighed rubbing his hands over his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant that. My head's just fucked up."

His wasn't the only one. If they could find us that quickly and easily then nowhere was safe. I felt fear, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to keep him safe from those things. They'd proven themselves to be a far more formidable enemy than I'd originally thought.

I wasn't about to give up though. Everything had a weak spot, even them. There had to be something we could use against them or use to hide from them. I knew very little about the Grendels. No book I'd looked though in the past had given me much information. There was only one person I could think of who might know anything of use. I looked over at him. Cal said he didn't remember his time with them. Hopefully the memory block proved temporary. As much as I want Cal to be able to forget what he's gone through, the knowledge stored there might be the only thing that will help us survive. It was time to figure out exactly what Cal knew.

* * *

TBC

Please Review.

Bia007- I tried hard very hard with that so thank you for commenting.

Nikki Morgan - There should be so much more Nightlife fics. I got tired of waiting for more and decided to add one of my own.


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